SKUAST-K Launches Student Rural Exploration Programme Across 300 Kashmir Villages | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir on Saturday launched the Student Rural Exploration Programme (SREP) under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP-20), marking a major step towards strengthening agricultural education and rural outreach in Kashmir Valley.

The initiative, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, has deployed over 3,000 students across more than 300 university-adopted villages for immersive field engagement aimed at bridging the gap between scientific research and traditional farming practices.

Officials said students from Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary Sciences, Fisheries, Sericulture, Forestry and Agricultural Engineering are working in multidisciplinary teams under faculty supervision, conducting Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) surveys and interacting directly with farming communities.

The programme aims to generate real-time rural data, provide technical advisories to farmers, and disseminate information on government schemes, improved seed varieties, resilient rootstocks and livestock breeds.

Prof Ganai described the initiative as a transformational model of education that integrates academic learning with community engagement, adding that it would help produce socially responsible agricultural professionals and promote rural innovation and entrepreneurship.

University authorities said the programme will be conducted on a fortnightly basis and is expected to remain a permanent feature of the academic calendar, strengthening long-term links between research institutions and farming communities across the region.